The 12 Days Of Heroic Chirstmas
by LittleMermaid1990
Summary: In which Team Flash fights evil Santa Claus, Oliver is stressed and Diggle has a shopping crisis. It's a very Flarrow Chirstmas indeed! Snowbarry, Olicity, Team Flarrow friendship and the usual Christmas insanity.
1. It's The Most Wonderful Time

_**AN:**_**Christmas Time my fellow Flarrow fans! Obviously this will be a Chritmas fic! And not only that, but it will also be somewhat of a future fic, I think we all need some happy and fluffy stuff after both mid-season finales (I mean what happened on Arrow? Hello?)**

**I'll try no to go too much into some stuff, like Dr. Wells for example, because I have so many different theories about him and this fic will focus on Team Flash/Team Arrow, friendship, love and family. And of course some humor.**

**English is not my mother tongue, so please forgive me for my mistakes.**

**This story is dedicated to my friend Jessica, who makes awesome videos for me and will hopefully enjoy this little present ;)**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, if I would own Barry Allen it would be Christmas already.**

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><p><em><strong>The 12 Day Of Heroic Christmas<strong>_

_**01: It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year**_

"_**Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing."**_

_**The Santa Clause**_

It was Holiday season in Central City, Christmas was not quite two weeks away, houses were decorated, eggnog sold, the sky looked like it would snow any day and Barry Allen was bored. Ever since he became The Flash, which happened almost three and a half years ago, life had been quite exciting. In fact, Barry didn't remember one single boring day since the lightning struck him. Granted most of his days were pretty dangerous, but he would lie if he said he didn't enjoy that little adrenalin rush he got while fighting super powered villains. For the last few weeks however it became quiet, too quiet for his taste.

His sighed into his giant cup of hot chocolate and played absentmindedly with a puffy white marshmallow.

"Do you have some kind of winter depression or holiday blues?" Iris sat in front of him, eyebrows raised.

Barry just sighed again. "I rescued three kitties from trees in two days." He said gloomily.

"Aww that's so nice." Iris said with a mixture of sweetness and playful mockery.

Barry put the marshmallow into his mouth and Iris swore she had never seen anyone eat one more dramatically than him. "One of them tried to bite me and it was the criminal highlight of the week."

Iris sipped at her hot chocolate, she was careful not to burn her tongue. Sometimes she wished she would heal like Barry, it would make life so much easier. "So it is quiet, that's a good thing. Maybe we'll finally have a peaceful Christmas." During the last couple of years Christmas always seemed to be interrupted by some crazy metahuman causing trouble and for once Iris would like to enjoy the most beautiful season of the year.

"It's like every criminal, villain or crazy person is on vacation…" He leaned closer to whisper into her ear, "It's not only the Flash who has nothing to do, but Barry Allen either." He leaned back into his chair, "No real cases for a week now."

Iris grabbed for a cookie on the table. "I know, Eddie told me so as well, but _he _is enjoying the lack of work." She teased.

"Eddie doesn't have all that energy to let out." He reasoned.

Iris rolled her eyes. Barry loved to show off his powers, he also loved talking about them. It was endearing and cute most of the time, but it could get quite annoying, especially when he was bored. "I was at the new house yesterday, maybe you could use your energyto unpack everything. It still looks…well chaotic."

"That's not the same." He moaned and let his head fall on the table.

Iris chuckled and softly patted his head. "Poor little superhero, it must be a torment that your city is safe."

He looked up, pouting like he did when they were kids and she won every game they decided to play. "Just make fun of me, next time some nutjob kidnaps you, maybe someone else will save you."

She laughed. "Sure Barry, whatever you say." He finally started to smile. She was glad things were so easy between them again. Three years ago he confessed his love for her on Christmas and things got awkward. They were both hurting, Barry because she was moving in with Eddie and her simply because Barry was hurting. Now things were back to normal, or even better as she sometimes thought. There were no more secrets between them and after all the pain and heartbreak they came out stronger than before, after all that's what best friends do.

Iris's phone started to buzz. She groaned and checked her messages. "Work. My boss probably sends me to another toy store to interview little kids and fake Santas."

"Who is complaining now?" Barry asked amused.

"Shut up. I could write about you instead, but oh wait there is nothing to tell." She shot back. "Or maybe…I'll write about you saving kitties. _Scarlet Speedster saves Kitties: The Flash's biggest triumph_"

Barry laughed sarcastically. "Very funny."

Iris poked her tongue out and giggled before she leaned down and kissed his cheek. "See you, later."

"Just leave me here in my misery."

* * *

><p>Joe stared at his computer screen, completely lost in thoughts. Everything was quiet in the city, too quiet. No metahumans, no usual criminals, it was weird especially around Christmas. It was too good to last.<p>

"We have a robbery, must've happened last night." Eddie appeared in front of him, car keys already in his hands. "Some media tycoon's butler called. The family was out of town when it happened."

Joe clenched his fists. He knew it, he just knew it. But after all a robbery wasn't that bad, for now. This was Central City after all.

* * *

><p>When Barry reached the crime scene he grinned gleefully.<p>

"Late as always, Allen." Eddie sat and playfully slapped his back.

"Sorry. I would say it's not gonna happen again, but we all know it'll be a lie." He said and shrugged his shoulder while putting on his gloves.

"You're eager today." Joe said suspicious.

Barry looked around the giant villa, he didn't know how people managed to make so much money that they could afford a house like that. "I was waiting for something like this."

"Please don't say that to the family." Joe warned.

Barry kneed down, something red caught his eyes. "What was stolen?"

Eddie looked at his notes. "It's strange really, only presents and decorations and everything relating to Christmas."

"That's really strange…" He twisted the little red thing in his hand. "Looks like a thread…I need to run an analysis and then I can tell you guys more. I don't suspect we'll find any finger prints, right?"

Joe shook his head. "Whoever did this must have been a pro. No one heard or saw anything, nothing is damaged, only specific stuff stolen."

"Are we suspecting a human or something else?" Eddie asked and looked between Joe and Barry.

"Hard to tell." Barry looked at the red thread again. "This could be from a Santa hat…." He looked around once more. _Only the Christmas stuff is gone? _"A possible Santa costume and stolen presents, right now my main suspect is the Grinch."

Joe chuckled. "Don't mention it in front of the Captain."

"Don't mention what in front of me?" Of course he had to appear in that very moment. The man had a timing only Oliver Queen could rival.

"Nothing." Joe, Barry and Eddie said at the same time.

"Guys seriously," Eddie started once the Captain was far away enough, "there is no metahuman that can turn into something like the Grinch right?" He had seen too many weird things during the last three years, in his mind anything was possible.

"I doubt that." Barry said, "But Cisco would love it."

* * *

><p>"A real life Grinch? That would be awesome!" Cisco shouted through the lab.<p>

Barry leaned against a table, his arms crossed. "Well, we can't be sure who or what robbed that family. I traced the thread I found back to a textile company…so the burglar might wore a Santa costume."

Caitlin's eyes were focused on a book she was reading. "The Grinch?" she said not looking up, "That would be too crazy even for our standards."

"But guys!" Cisco jumped around like an excited kid, "Just imagine it! That would be mind-blowing!"

Sometimes it surprised Barry how excited Cisco still got whenever they found a new metahuman. Sure, he loved all of the wonders he got to witness as well, but Cisco was a whole new level. He never ran out of names or new inventions and Barry wouldn't want it any other way.

"Scientifically it is not possible that the particle accelerator created something like a _Grinch._" She flipped through the pages, "I can't believe we're seriously having this conversation."

Cisco's excitement aside, Caitlin had a point and Barry knew she was probably right. Caitlin was almost always right.

"Well, you didn't believe in a psychic gorilla either." Cisco countered.

Caitlin shuddered. "Don't remind me, please." Then she looked up and searched for Barry's eyes. "You are not really believing someone turned into some kind of Grinch, right?"

He smiled. "No, but it would be cool."

She turned back to her book, relieved he wasn't as crazy as Cisco. Caitlin loved her boys, but sometimes, their enthusiasm was getting the best of them. "Better to wait and see if we can find more evidence."

"Boring." Cisco complained. "What are you reading by the way?" He grabbed her book and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey!" She snapped.

"A cooking book?" He asked.

She took it back from him and shot him one of her infamous "deadpan looks", she knew it would freak him out.

"I'll be cooking dinner for everyone on Christmas and I like to be prepared." She made a face, "Felicity cooked last year and it was amazing…considering she usually doesn't even celebrate Christmas I see it as my duty to make it as perfect as possible." It was a silly little competition, nothing serious, but she wouldn't be Caitlin if she didn't at least try to make everything perfect.

"Speaking of dinner," she looked at her watch, "I gotta go home, the plumber will be there in half an hour and hopefully the sink will work afterwards. Without a sink, dinner would be problematic." She grabbed her bag and turned to Barry.

"Sorry you have to wait there alone." He said apologetic, "Joe wants me to scout every mansion around the crime scene in case our robber might comes back."

She put her hand on his chest. "Its fine, I don't tolerate people stealing Christmas presents and lights, go and catch that guy." She quickly kissed him on the lips. "Can you stop by at Wu's on your way home later? I read so much about food today that I don't feel like cooking at all and who knows if plumber number 3 will actually do something."

"Of course, see you at home." He said lovingly as she left.

_Home. _That's what it was, that beautiful unpacked chaos house with the broken sink. Barry never imagined something besides the West's house or the nutshell of an apartment he came to appreciate so much, could actually feel like home, but it did. The house itself was beautiful, small and cozy, but he knew the real reason behind his fuzzy feelings was Caitlin. He felt home because _she _was there.

"Earth to Flash." Cisco said suddenly.

"What?" Barry asked perplexed.

Cisco shook his head and chuckled. "Time to suit up."

* * *

><p>Barry ran around the area for a while and nothing happened. "Maybe it was a one-time thing." He said through his mic.<p>

"_You don't tell me there is a possibility of a Grinch and then just give up! Go and find him!"_

Barry rolled his eyes. When Cisco was insisting on something, he really was _insisting. _As awesome as a Grinch-like metahuman would be, he knew it was ridiculous. He wanted to go home, eat Chinese food with Caitlin and maybe unpack a couple of boxes. Yes, he wanted something to do, but running around without anything happening and looking for something that was probably just your everyday robber was practically as exciting as saving kitties from trees.

"_Joe just called. Suspicious behavior a block away from you. He and Eddie will meet you there."_

"Got it." Barry said and doubled his speed. He had more control over his powers than three years ago, they have evolved and he with them.

When he arrived at the potential new crime scene he briefly laid eyes on Joe who pointed at an open window in a giant, dark house. _Nobody home again, _Barry thought.

He speeded through the house upstairs, while Joe and Eddie followed slowly, guns prepared.

It was so dark that Barry didn't see much. It was obviously a wealthy household again, the house – _mansion _– was gigantic and the few things he could see in the darkness looked so expansive that Barry was afraid to even touch anything.

He concentrated on his hearing, if someone was in the house, stealing presents and decoration, he would stop him.

First there was just silent, then there was a sudden noise. Someone was definitely there, searching for something. He ran into the direction the noise came from and found himself in what looked like the bedroom.

A dark figure was rummaging around under the bed. It was a strange sight. Barry remembered Iris and him doing something like that when they were kids looking for presents.

"Hey, you!" He called.

The figure stopped.

"Stop what you're doing and I won't hurt you." Barry said.

The figure made a noise. Barry thought he was going crazy. _Was that a ho ho ho? _He shook his head, their stupid Grinch theories were getting to him. He ran towards the figure, ready to grab it, only that he ended up grabbing the thin air. "What the…?"

He stopped immediately. _Not possible, he didn't even move._

The figure was suddenly standing in front of the open window again. Barry just stared at him, confused how he could've missed him.

"Hey!" Eddie called out, he pointed a flashlight at the figure and almost dropped when he took a look at the robber.

"Why is no one catching that guy?" Joe yelled, addressing Barry.

Barry just pointed with his finger at the person on the window.

In front of them stood a man, or at least it looked like a man. He was big, with a white beard, wearing indeed a Santa costume and a giant sack over his shoulder. He didn't look like the Grinch, but like what people would imagine the "real" Santa Claus to look like. Only something was wrong with his face. He smiled evilly and his eyes were nothing but a golden glow.

"Ho ho ho." He laughed again before disappearing in a cloud of snow out of the window.

Barry slowly removed his mask and looked at Joe and Eddie. "You did see that too, right? You did see evil Santa Claus robbing a house, right?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Somewhere in the gloomier part of the world….Starling City<strong>_

"_Arsenal, you're in position?"_

Oliver's voice tinged through the speakers and Roy nodded, even if nobody was there. It was a strange habit he developed, always nod if Oliver asks something. "Yes, in position."

"_Alright. Let's end this series of robberies."_

Roy sighed. They were trying to catch these bastards for over a week now. It started harmless. Just a couple of robberies in some wealthy households. Well, not even 'real robberies', the only thing stolen was Christmas stuff and Roy didn't understand the whole fuzz. Nobody was hurt, nobody truly lost something. But since the police was overwhelmed, typical really, Team Arrow was on it. Usually catching robbers was an easy task, this time however something was off. They couldn't get a trace on them or him, they weren't even sure if it was a whole gang or just a single person. Of course Felicity blamed herself for not finding them and whenever Felicity was unhappy about something, Oliver made it his personal mission to right the wrong.

So here they were, waiting on different positions on the next most likely house to fall victim to their mystery robber.

Roy was on the roof next to the house, Diggle in a car on the street and Oliver on the actual house, no one should've been able to get past them this time.

* * *

><p>Diggle tapped on the steering wheel. "I'll hope we finish this tonight, I have better things to do."<p>

"_Still stressing about that doll?" _Oliver asked over the speakers.

"You don't get it, it's not just any doll. It's the Dixie Doll 3000." He said like it was the most important thing in the world.

This time it was Roy who was answering. _"That sounds like a porn star Terminator."_

Diggle ignored him and just continued. "She can sing, dance, is indestructible and she glows pink in the dark." A few years ago John Diggle would've never imagined talking about glowing pink dolls, especially not on a mission, but Sara changed all of that. She changed his whole life.

"_Sara is almost three and a half, John." _Oliver said, _"She probably doesn't care what doll she gets, as long as she gets one."_

Diggle's eyes were fixed on the road, but his mind far away. "It's not that. Sara loves anything I'll get her, she sweet like that…it's just…." He groaned, "Lyla told me to get it back in August and I forgot."

Oliver chuckled. _"And you haven't told her. She will kick your butt."_

"_Guys!" _Roy's voice sounded suddenly alarming. _"He is –"He_ was cut off.

* * *

><p>Roy didn't understand how he missed the guy approaching him from behind, he should've stayed focused instead of listening to Oliver's and Diggle's conversation. He cursed silently. Something hit him hard on the back and when he turned around to fight back, he almost lost his breath.<p>

In front of him was a guy dressed as Santa Claus with glowing golden eyes.

"What…?" He didn't react fast enough, Santa punched him again, harder this time.

"Ho ho ho" Was all he said.

Roy felt Santa coming closer again, he wanted to get up but an enormous weight put him down. He yelled out in pain. Suddenly something pulled Santa away from him. He needed a moment, but was quickly back on his feet. He thought Oliver came to his aid, but it wasn't him fighting Santa, but a girl.

She wielded a sword but couldn't score a hit. Santa grabbed her arm and lifted her up.

"Ho ho ho" He laughed with a deep unsettling voice. He briefly looked at Roy before throwing her off the roof.

"Thea!" Roy screamed. He ran past Santa towards the edge of the roof, when he looked down Thea was on the ground safe and sound, Oliver's arms still around her waist. He turned around, but Santa was gone already.

Thea looked up to Oliver. "What the hell was that?" She asked. Oliver just stared at the roof, he had seen a few impossible things in his life, but evil Santa Claus was definitely a new one.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed it, reviews would be welcome :)<strong>


	2. You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry

_**AN: **__** Thank you so much for all the great response guys, you are awesome! I really hoped to write this story before Christmas, but you know sometimes stuff comes in-between especially during the Holiday season, so this will expand a bit beyond Christmas, sorry. Hope you still stay with me.**_

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><p><em><strong>02: You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry, Evil Santa Is Telling You Why<strong>_

"_**I'm gonna be killed by a Christmas tree!"**_

_**Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion**_

"What the hell, Thea!" Oliver yelled so loud people upstairs in the club might actually heard him despite the dance music. He stood in front of his sister, clenching his fists, looking like a mixture of pure anger and concerned big brother. "You can't just show up on a mission like this! You could've been killed!"

"If you would've told me where you were going I would've been prepared! You can't just exclude me everytime _you _suddenly feel overprotective!" Thea wasn't having any of her big brother antics that night. She hated the way he sometimes treated her, like she wasn't an adult or a trained fighter, but like she was still that teenage girl that came running down the stairs into his arms when he first returned from the island.

"Your assistance wasn't needed, we had it under control!" Oliver hissed between his teeth. It wasn't like he didn't know he was wrong and would most likely lose that argument, he just hated to admit defeat.

Thea laughed humorless. "Sure. If it weren't for me Roy would've been killed by Evil Santa!"

"Don't drag me into this…" Roy mumbled, which only earned him a disapproving look from Oliver and Thea. Oliver was pissed because Roy messed up in a fight and Thea because he wasn't backing her up. But Roy knew better than getting involved in a fight between the Queen siblings. Years of experience taught him better, it always ended in a lose-lose situation for him and the night had already been terrible.

"When will you finally trust me, Ollie?" Thea's voice turned from angry to desperate now. "I can take care of myself!"

Oliver shook his head. "I saw that tonight when…_Santa _threw you off a roof! I had to catch you!"

"That's what a team is for, right? To catch each other and to have each other's backs, not to exclude each other!" Her voice was raising again.

Diggle stood in a corner, arms crossed. "Is no one freaked out that we just fought an evil version of Santa Claus?"

Roy started to raise his hand, but one look from Oliver and he stopped.

"I appreciate your wish to help, Thea….but stop interfering in our work!"

"Excuse me?" Thea's cheek flushed, she was ready to explode, and "I do what? Last time I checked –"

"Everybody shut up now!" Felicity yelled. She sat in front of her computers, massaging her temples. "Shouting is bad juju and we don't want bad juju, right?"

"I'm sorry." Oliver said and rushed over to her side. He lay his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them softly. "We didn't mean to distress you."

It still amazed Roy how Felicity had Oliver under control. One word, sometimes only one look and he would exactly do what she wanted. That guy was totally whipped.

Diggle on the other hand just smiled knowingly.

"Whatever. Sorry, Felicity." She turned around and stormed out of the foundry.

"Thea!" Oliver wanted to go after her, but Felicity grabbed his hand and pulled him back. "Let her go. She needs time to cool off."

He looked after his sister and sighed. He messed up and he knew it. Felicity shot him a small smile. "She'll forgive you." She always knew the right words to say.

"I'm off guys. I need to recover from the Evil Santa experience. Check in tomorrow." Diggle said. He gave Roy a little nod, a signal to follow him.

"Night guys."

When they were gone, Oliver relaxed against the table. He looked around and spotted something unfamiliar for the lair. "Is that a Christmas tree?"

Felicity smiled brightly. "I also have menorah." She pointed at her table. "We spend so much time down here, it needed some festive touch or it would look like the Grinch's cave."

"Speaking of being down here…" Oliver's voice sounded dunning and Felicity bit her lower lip, "Why are you down here? It's too cold and stressful, you should've stayed home."

Felicity turned to her monitors. "If I had been here the whole time, Roy might've never been attacked." She put her glasses off and massaged her temples again. Her head hurt. She was sweating. She wasn't even sure her feet existed anymore. "It's my job to be your ears and eyes and I'm good at it. Was good at it. Now all I'm good for is falling asleep, eating and complaining."

Oliver chuckled lovingly and turned her chair back, so she would face him. He leaned down and softly kissed her forehead. "Don't beat yourself up. Nothing of this is your fault, we were out there and didn't catch the guy." It was weird, the way Santa disappeared seemed unusual to him, he sent a silent prayer that Santa he was just a human thief, but he doubted hit. "We'll deal with it tomorrow, now let's go home." He offered her his hand and she gladly accepted.

"Can we stop at Big Belly Burgers on our way home? I need a Double Bacon Burger and lots of fries."

He rolled his eyes. "Your Mom kills me if she finds out I let you eat greasy food."

She kissed his cheek. "Thankfully my Mom is not here. And now get this _Momma _her burger!"

* * *

><p>"How about Bad Santa? No wait that was a movie…" Cisco was so concentrated it caused his brows to furrow. "Santa Claws!"<p>

"I'm pretty sure that's a movie too." Barry said, "Or it just sounds like a bad horror movie." He added quickly. Not that Barry would know anything about horror trash movies or something like that.

Cisco snapped his fingers. "I've got it, drum roll please!" When neither Barry nor Caitlin reacted he just shrugged and continued, "Sinister Claus!"

"That is awesome!" Barry high-fived him.

"Nah, I'm not feeling it." Caitlin loved teasing Cisco, he was such an easy target.

Cisco rolled his eyes. "You just don't understand my genius, Caitlin. But whatever long night I need my bed."

"Just a second, I'll get you there." Barry grinned. Before Cisco could say anything and before Caitlin got the chance to blink, Cisco was home, sitting on his bed.

Caitlin was used to Barry using his speed in situations like this, so it didn't freak her out anymore. Had she been worried when it all first started and she wasn't always comfortable with him using his powers in everyday situations, she now found it endearing and charming.

When Barry was back in front of her she barely reacted. "Well, so much about a cozy night on the couch with Chinese take-out."

"At least the sink works now." He said.

She pressed her head against his chest and closed her eyes, when she opened them again, she was home on her new sofa. "I hope you locked the lap."

"Of course." He said, placing the keys on the table before letting himself fall down next to her. He rested his head in her lab and she softly placed with his hair. "You okay?"

"I've seen a lot of weird stuff, I am the weird stuff, but and evil Santa Claus? That was freaky! Like really freaky! And he just disappeared on me. I couldn't catch him."

"That's not your fault, Barry. We have no idea what kind of metahuman we're dealing with yet. Maybe its better he got away, we have no idea how dangerous he is."

"But –"She leaned down and shut him up with a kiss. "We investigate him tomorrow. Stop beating yourself up about it, that is a Doctor's order."

* * *

><p>The next day at the police station, Eddie was trying to fill a report. "I have no idea what to write."<p>

Joe chuckled and handed his partner a cup of coffee. "What? You think writing down _Santa's evil twin robbed a house and disappeared in a cloud of snow_ doesn't sound good?"

Eddie laughed. Three years and he still sometimes had a hard time adjusting to the world of superheroes and villains. "Even Barry seemed freaked out by Santa and that says a lot." Ed stared at his blank screen. "Iris is interviewing some of the victims for the newspaper. In Iris world that means snooping around for us."

To say that Joe still didn't like his daughter's involvement in catching Central City's criminals was the understatement of the year, but he knew there was no way stopping her. Iris loved her job at the Central Daily and she used every connection she had to assist Barry and his team.

"Maybe she'll find a connection between the families, because I got nothin'." Joe said.

* * *

><p>"Let us analyze the facts, "Caitlin said typing on her computer, "We have a metahuman, possibly male, but hard to tell because he wears a costume."<p>

"A Santa costume." Barry added, still freaked out by that little detail.

"He robs families, all very wealthy so far and only steals everything that relates to Christmas." She continued. "The most interesting part however, his abilities. According to you –" she pointed at Barry without looking up, "he possesses the ability to turn his whole body into something that looks like solid, crystalline ice water – snow – and can disappear in a miniature winter storm."

Cisco smiled and couldn't stop. "That is so awesome, I can't say it enough."

"Too bad we don't have any DNA sample." Caitlin said, "It would be interesting to compare his cells to those of Kyle Nimbus. Their powers seems quite similar."

"I'm more curious about the motive." Barry said. "We had metahumans who that were power crazy or bad people before they got them, we also had our fair share of nutjobs, but guys, someone who steals Christmas stuff? That is not just crazy, that is insane." He gestured wildly with his hands, "I mean, does he hate Christmas? No one hates Christmas!"

"Sinister Claus, surely is sinister." Cisco added thoughtfully.

Barry was still beating himself up about losing the evil Santa Claus and Caitlin knew it, she felt bad that there was nothing she could do to help him. Barry loved being the Flash and the fun it brought, but he also took failure very seriously.

Suddenly the computer started to beep. "Oh, a video call from the Arrowcave." Caitlin said. They always called it the Arrowcave, at least when said _Arrow_ wasn't around.

She clicked on the newly opened window and Barry and Cisco joined her behind the scene. "Hey guys" she said when the faces of Oliver, Felicity and Thea popped up, with Roy and Diggle in the background.

"_Hey! So glad to see you. Well, not really seeing you, but seeing your faces, on the screen." _Felicity said cheerfully, while Olive grunted something that sounded like 'hello'.

"How are you?" Caitlin asked, directing the question obviously to Felicity.

Felicity's smiled only widened. _"We're perfect." _She answered, turning Oliver's stern expression into an affectionate smile.

Caitlin was pleased with the answer, not only as Felicity's best friend, but also as a doctor.

"What can we do for you guys?" Barry asked.

"_We have a little situation here."_ Oliver said briefly, even after all these years he still had a problem asking for help and it caused Barry a lot of fun. _"We fought a suspect last night and he escaped. We have nothing on him. No facial recognition, not a clue where he went or what he did."_

"_We only know he is a robber."_ Roy added from behind.

Barry exchanged a brief look with Caitlin, what a coincidence that both teams were after a robber or wasn't it a coincidence at all?

"_He grabbed me and I might have some of his DNA on me." _Thea went on, _"Maybe you guys can get a sample."_

Cisco, smitten with Thea like a love sick little puppy, smiled absentmindedly. "I'll gladly take DNA from you." When he realized what he said, he whispered to Barry: "Did that sound creepy?"

Barry patted his friends back. "Just leave it buddy." Cisco's crush on Thea went on since he first met her, even though everyone knew they would never be more than friends and comrades.

"_Focus." _Oliver said serious.

"Just out of curiosity, what kind of guy were you hunting?" Barry asked then.

"_You wouldn't believe it…" _Diggle grunted in the background.

"_It is a robber dressed as Santa Claus._", Roy said, fully knowing that that sounded ridiculous even to a guy running as fast as lightning, "_He also vanished into thin air."_

"No way!" Cisco shouted so loud that Caitlin slapped the back of his head. He rubbed the spot she hit and made a painful noise before continuing. "You have a Sinister Claus, too?"

"_A Sinister what?" _Roy asked.

"We have a similar case." Caitlin started to explain, "A guy dressed as Santa robs wealthy families, but he only steals their Christmas presents and decorations."

"I tried to catch him last night." Barry jumped in, not happy to admit his failure to catch, "But he disappeared right in front of me…in the form of a snow storm."

Team Arrow exchanged some baffled looks on the other side of the line. They encountered weird stuff since they started working together, from Mirakuru super soldiers up to Barry himself, but evil Santa, _Sinister Claus, _was a new entity all together.

"So there are two of them?" Barry asked.

"_One with you in Central City and one with us in Starling?" _Felicity added, _"That would be a huge coincidence, except –"_

"Except it was one and the same guy." Barry completed her sentence. They did this sometimes, much to the annoyance of their teammates.

"When did you fight your Sinister Claus?" Cisco asked.

"_Around midnight." _Oliver answered.

Cisco checked the time he last spoke to Barry before his confrontation with the evil Santa. "Barry as well…so there are two of them?"

"Or one metahuman who can be at two places at the same time. There are too many possibilities and unknown variables to say yet." Caitlin said.

"_We'll send you Thea's jacket and maybe you can fill in one of the variables." _Felicity went on.

"You could send it or you to Central City. A joint investigation might be better." Barry suggested, hopefully. He loved working together with Team Arrow.

"_That is really not –"Oliver_ started but Felicity hushed him with one single wave of her hand.

"_We'd love to." _She said instead. _"We would spend Christmas with you guys anyways, so we have more of each other. I'll immediately book us a room."_

"No, that is not acceptable." Caitlin said smiling, "You stay at our place."

Barry nodded approvingly, even if he had no idea how to unpack everything in that short amount of time. He didn't want to use his powers for his own special reasons.

Caitlin and Felicity agreed that Team Arrow should join them already on the next day in with that they hung up.

* * *

><p>"Was that really necessary?" Oliver asked with a painful expression. Team Flash was like a family to him, he still had problems working in a team though.<p>

"It will be fun." Felicity said. "The case will be closed faster, we spend more time with our friends and I'll bet Connor wouldn't mind to see earlier as well."

It all sounded so easy when she said it. Of course finding Santa would be easier with help and if he admitted it to himself, he like the perspective of spending more time with his son. His relationship with Connor was good, considering both didn't know about the other until three years ago, but they could use some bonding time.

"We should get home and pack, I'll need my stuff." Felicity ordered, the rest of team already left.

"Wait, wait, wait." Oliver just now realized that she wanted to tag along. "You can't come. Not now, I'll get you as soon as the case is over."

She grabbed his hands. "I will be fine." She took a deep breath, "And I won't let you leave on your own around Christmas, never around this time."

They barely talked about the time when Oliver left to face Ra's Al Ghul or afterwards, but ever since then, he never left around Christmas time. The memories were too painful for everyone.

"Alright, alright." He said softly, not wanting to startle her even more. "But Caitlin will keep you under her watch all the time. And you keep away from everything dangerous."

She smiled before getting on her toes and kissing him. "I promise."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review ;)<em>**


	3. Welcome To Christmas Town

**_AN: Wow guys, thank you againn for the great response. Again sorry that this will be finished after Christmas, but Holidays are stressful...you know what I mean, right?_**

**_I'm sorry I had no time to proof read it this time, so mistakes will be there, more than usually (yay -.-)_**

**_I hope you all have a very nice Christmas Eve!_**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Part 03: Welcome To Christmas Town, Damnation On Your Left<strong>_

"_**What's this? What's this? There's color everywhere! What's this? There's white things in the air! What's this?"**_

_**The Nightmare Before Christmas**_

These were the facts: Christmas had always been Joe's favorite holiday. He loved the lights, the cheerfulness, colors and of course Grandma Esther's eggnog. Living in Central City was amazing around Christmas time, the atmosphere could only be rivaled by Whoville itself and that meant something. It was indeed the most wonderful time of the year. Well, that until the particle accelerator exploded. Ever since this little unfortunate event Christmas seemed to end in a catastrophe and Joe was so done with it. Was it too much to ask for to just enjoy that supposed peaceful time? Apparently it was. This year at least the came close to enjoying the Holidays. Everything went smoothly, no real cases, no metahumans, nothing. Until Santa's evil twin showed up and ruined everything.

Joe sighed deeply as he stood in Barry's lap, watching him examine the red strand he found at the first crime scene. His boy was beating himself up for losing evil Santa and Joe hated it.

"I talked to Quentin Lance and he send me the files Starling City PD has on the robberies." He said. "And check this out." He softly pulled Barry back from his work and put the file under his nose. "Similar robberies have been reported in Coast City, as well as in Blüdhaven. But it definitely started here."

Barry scratched his head. "So either we have an army of Sinister Clauses or it is one guy who can project himself everywhere." He didn't like either option.

Joe put the file aside. "When will Oliver and his team arrive?"

Barry checked his watch. "Somewhere around noon."

Joe wasn't exactly the biggest fan of Oliver Queen's methods to work on crime fighting, but he came to appreciate him as a person. Team Arrow became like a second family to all of them and he was glad that Barry had so many people he could count on.

"I gotta go home. Since Cait invited everyone to stay at our house, we have to prepare it." Barry smiled briefly before disappearing in front of Joe's eyes.

Joe shook his head. That was boy was impossible and he wouldn't want to have it any other way. He was proud of Barry as if he were his own son, he surely loved him like his own flesh and blood. Sometimes he had to remind himself that his boy was all grown up now. He worked hard in his daily job, was a superhero at night and recently moved in with the woman he loved. He sighed again. Christmas, a time that also made him nostalgic.

* * *

><p>"Uncle Ollie, up!" Little Sara Diggle commanded.<p>

Oliver chuckled as he lifted her on his shoulders so she could reach the upper part of the giant Christmas tree in the Diggle household.

Lyla stood in the doorway, watching her daughter and her husband's nest friend with a loving smile on her lips. "You're really good at this."

Oliver didn't turn around, because Sara was busy attaching a star on the top of the tree. "At assisting little girls decorating the tree? My greatest accomplishment, yet." He joked.

"Don't move, Uncle Ollie!" Sara was adorable when she ordered adults around, she always reminded Oliver of Lyla when she did so. Strong, determined and of course wearing the pants in every relationship.

"I'm serious." Lyla said, walking towards them. "You will be a good father, don't worry so much."

Once the star was attached Oliver sat Sara down, she was proud of her work.

"I'm not sure. I never saw myself as a dad…" When he first met Connor he was terrified. Years ago he thought his affair Sandra lost their baby, but it turned out his mother paid her to lie to him. He didn't know how to be a father, but he eventually grew into it. The difference was, Connor was not a baby anymore, not so fragile and raised by a fantastic mother, the child Felicity was caring right now however, would be a newborn. He would care for it from the moment it was born and it scared him. Too many ways to screw this up. When Felicity first told him they were expecting he wasn't exactly thrilled, but he eventually came around. Now he was excited, but also worried. Very worried.

"You will do just fine. You're doing fine with Sara ever since she was born and you have Felicity on your side." Lyla gently squeezed his arm.

He shot her a brief smile. "Thanks, Mrs. Diggle."

She laughed lightly.

"I'm ready." Diggle entered the room, a heavy leather bag over his shoulders.

"Daddy!" Sara jumped into her father's arms. "Where are you going?"

He softly sat her down. "Well, Uncle Oliver and I we are…" He briefly looked at Oliver who just shrugged, "We are looking for Santa Claus."

Sara's eyes widened. "Really?"

Diggle kissed her forehead. "We'll visit him to get you the best present ever." If only that were true and he would somewhere find that damn doll he promised Lyla to buy.

Sara smiled brightly. "That's so cool! Can I come?"

He shook his head. "No, or the surprised will be ruined. But you and you Mom join us as soon as possible."

Lyla picked her daughter up and Diggle kissed her on the lips. "See you in a couple of days."

"Be careful." Lyla said and then turned to look at Oliver, "Both of you."

"Let's get the others." Diggle said to Oliver and they left the apartment.

* * *

><p>When Barry entered his new house, he was greeted by the smell of chocolate and dough. "Caitlin?" He called.<p>

"Kitchen!" She answered, sounding busy.

Barry kicked his shoes off and hung his jacket on the wardrobe. "What's that smell?" It was mouth-watering.

"Double chocolate chip cookies with Nutella. Your favorites." Caitlin answered from the kitchen. "You were beating yourself up over Sinister Claus and I figured you need a little cheer up."

Sometimes Barry couldn't believe how lucky he was, how he deserved to be with someone as amazing as her. They've been through a lot together, but he wouldn't trade all the hardships for anything in the world. They had to go through it to come out stronger and to find each other.

"Caitlin Snow, you are the most amazing –"He stopped as he caught her sight.

She was wearing a Santa hat and an apron with a dancing reindeer on it, and only that.

"Whoa Cait…" Barry was literally speechless. She was just standing there, a bell in her one hand and a plate of cookies in the other.

She rung the bell. "Merry early Christmas, Mr. Allen." She tried to sound seductively.

His jaw dropped, he wasn't able to function anymore. Of course he always found her beautiful and sexy and but this was a whole new level.

Barry not moving however made Caitlin insecure. She had never done something like that for anybody and suddenly wasn't so sure it was a good idea.

"Oh my God…this is too much, right? I'm sorry." She put the plate and bell aside. "I went over the top."

Barry just slowly started to gain control over his movements again. He couldn't stop staring at her. If that woman wasn't the best thing that ever happened to him he had no idea what was. He has always been awkward around girl and never considered himself a catch. He had girlfriends of course, but nothing really serious and of course there was that brief something with Felicity that never worked out. Obviously there also has been the unrequited love for Iris, but he was over that. Now there was Caitlin. She meant more to him that he could ever imagine.

"I probably look ridiculous." She said and reached for the Santa hat.

Barry snapped out of his trance and speeded towards her. Before Caitlin knew what was happening she was sitting on the kitchen counter, Barry's lips crashing on hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist and responded immediately.

"If that's your definition of ridiculous, I'll gladly take ridiculous everyday." Barry whispered into her ear. "Thank you, Caitlin. Thank you for everything, not just that. I love you." He kissed her neck and slowly opened the ribbon of the apron.

"I love you, too." Caitlin answered and put the Santa hat aside. When she felt the apron loosen she stopped Barry. "Can you save the cookies first, they were a lot of work." She bit her lip. The perfectionist in her spoke.

Barry chuckled. "As you wish, my lady."

* * *

><p>Thea sat on the couch in Oliver and Felicity's living room, while Felicity was busy to throw one package after the other at Roy, who already felt like her personal slave.<p>

"No one needs that much stuff." He murmured only to be ignored by the two women.

"Oliver needs to stop treating me like I'm some broken doll. I'm fine, I'm strong." Thea complained.

Felicity felt sympathy for her. Thea has been through a lot during the last couple of years. Malcolm Merlyn put her through more than Felicity could ever imagine and she was amazed how well Thea recovered from all of it. Still, she understood Oliver's concern for his sister's safety as well as for her sanity.

"He is only looking out for you." Felicity said, sitting down next to her and taking her hands.

"I know I wish he just would trust me more." Thea was frustrated, she knew why Oliver was being overprotective, being brainwashed by her own father did mess her up, but she was much better now, she wanted to use her abilities to help her brother save the city.

"What's your opinion in this?" She looked at Roy, who was trying hard to avoid any eye contact.

"Don't drag me into this. I'm Switzerland." He answered. He once got involved in a fight between Oliver and Thea and it ended with Thea not talking to him for a week and Oliver gleefully using him for target practice, he would never do that again.

"Coward. Just because you're afraid of my brother." She snapped only half serious.

_I'm more afraid of you. _Roy thought but kept to himself.

Felicity groaned and softly stroked her belly.

"You okay?" Thea asked concerned.

"Yeah. Your niece is just kicking me." She answered, half in pain, half in joy.

Thea put her hands on Felicity's stomach. "She will be a tough a little girl."

Felicity laughed. "She will be a ninja. Probably with a love for pointy things." She already joked with Oliver that one day their daughter will come home announcing she wants to take archery lessons and that she probably will favor the color green above everything.

"She will be the most adorable, bubbly little ninja around." Thea said affectionately. She couldn't wait to be cool Aunt Thea.

"Or she will be a genius." Oliver entered the living room, looking proudly at his girlfriend and unborn child.

Felicity reached out to him and he pulled her on her feet.

"You ready?" He asked the three of them. "Diggle is waiting in the car."

Thea nodded. "Ready to go." She was still mad at him, but decided to keep quiet to keep the peace.

Felicity raised her hand. "Pregnant lady calls shotgun!" She shouted.

Oliver raised an eyebrow. With Thea and Roy in the second car, with all of their equipment it left him, Felicity and Diggle in the other car. Of course Diggle was driving, Diggle was always driving. "I'm not sitting on the backseat."

Felicity smiled wickedly. "Yes you are, because I get dizzy in the back."

"Since when?" He asked suspiciously.

"Since your daughter made me." She shrugged and grabbed her handbag. "Meet you outside." She turned to Roy, "Please be careful with the presents."

Oliver was dumbfounded. He literally had no chance to disagree with her. Not that he ever really tried, it was just part of their relationship and he loved it that way.

He looked at the packages surrounding Roy. "That will never fit into the car."

"I really hope you mean the packages and not me." Felicity said from the door.

"Of course, I mean the packages."

Oliver groaned and signaled Roy to grab everything and get it outside. When Felicity caught his annoyed face, she smiled innocently. "Christmas presents. We celebrate with a big family."

Oliver wondered what madness would've happened if she would really celebrate Christmas, because that was getting out of control.

* * *

><p>Barry cleaned the kitchen in lighting speed while Caitlin was under the shower. Superpowers did come in handy sometimes, especially if you just got indecent on the kitchen counter with your girlfriend right before your houseguests arrive.<p>

He smiled goofily to himself. If that was Caitlin's way to cheer him up from now on, he wouldn't mind more Sinister Clauses.

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hello?" he asked.

"_Barry, its Iris. I may have found something on the two of the families." _She sounded excited.

Barry wasn't too eager to go to work now, he wanted to stay in his bubble of happiness.

"_Are you listening?" _Iris asked impatiently.

"Yeah…sure." Barry answered, glad she couldn't see his painful expression.

"_Good, I'll meet you at the police station." _She said and hung up.

Barry wasn't in the mood for hunting bad guys, but he was interested in what Iris found out. If there was something similar about the victims then maybe they finally found a clue to catch Sinister Claus and the sooner they wrapped this case up, the sooner they would be able to enjoy Christmas.

* * *

><p>Oliver sat grumpily on the backseat, placed next to him a giant brown teddy bear with a bow tie Felicity bought for Sara.<p>

Diggle was driving, humming Christmas songs along with the radio while Felicity was snoring next to him, a giant green blanket wrapped around her.

Thea and Roy were in the car behind them.

Oliver looked outside the window. The sky was grey, snow would be falling any day. He hated snow. It reminded him on the mountain, the battle, the sword.

Once upon a time he really enjoyed Christmas that was before the Queen's Gambit sunk, before the Island, before Hong Kong and Russia, before he became the Arrow. Now Christmas only held bad memories for him, well except the time he spend with his team, his family.

They passed the "Welcome to Central City" sign, it was decorated with Christmas light and made Oliver sigh. They just reached Christmas Town.

As soon as they were driving through the city it was like they just entered another world. Bright lights, Christmas trees, people caroling and everyone seemed cheerful. Central City was the opposite of Starling, much like Barry was the opposite of Oliver.

He wasn't exactly looking forward to the giant family Christmas party, but he was glad to see his expanded family again, it's been a while.

Diggle pulled into the drive way of the new Allen-Snow residence and softly woke Felicity. "We're here."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Reviews would be a nice present ;)<strong>_


	4. You're A Grinch, Mr Queen

_**AN: **_** _Merry Christmas guys! Do you have any idea how amazing you all are? You're comments, fave and alerts are such great Christmas presents. Thank you for all the amazing response!_**

**_I really hope you again forgive me for having no time for proof-reading, but Christmas is a busy time ;)_**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Part 04: You're A Grinch, Mr. Queen<strong>_

"_**Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville - did not."**_

_**- How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)**_

Caitlin hugged Felicity like there was no tomorrow. "I missed you so much! You need to visit more often."

Felicity hugged her back, needing a little bit more effort since her very swollen tummy was in the way. "I know, I know. But we have a company to run, you have a lab to run which our company owns…"

They finally pulled away. "We need to make more time for it." Caitlin said before turning her attention to the others. "Glad you all could make it." She quickly hugged Thea and Diggle, while Roy already disappeared outside again to get their baggage and the thousand presents Felicity bought.

"It's good to see you, Caitlin." Oliver leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Caitlin smiled. "Good to see you, too." Both of them developed a very affectionate friendship over the last couple of years. They could relate to each much like their significant others could.

"That house is wonderful!" Felicity exclaimed, "Barry wasn't exaggerating. "

"Where is Barry?" Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He is meeting Iris, she has some information on the victims." Caitlin explained. "But she just texted me to meet them at Jitters."

Roy dropped the bags. "Can we get a tour first? This house looks great."

Thea nodded enthusiastically. "It does. How did you pay for that?" Being born rich, Thea had problems in the past seeing that other people might struggled with money, but ever since meeting Roy, that changed.

Caitlin sighed. "We're _still _paying." And they probably would do it for a while. She felt guilty about it, she knew Barry would've been fine with a smaller house or an apartment, but she fell in love with this particular one. It reminded her of her childhood home. A little bit outside the city, with big windows and a beautiful garden. She could imagine herself growing old in that house, raising a family. Once Barry noticed how much it meant to her, he didn't even hesitate to buy it.

"Guys, as much as I'd love a tour," Diggle said, "We might should get our stuff to the lab first." With stuff he meant Oliver's and Roy's costumes and their whole weaponry.

Oliver agreed. "We should get Barry first."

Caitlin linked her arm with Felicity. "We get Barry and tell him to meet you at the lab." It was a code for 'we need to catch up'

"You want to come, Thea?" Felicity asked.

"No, thanks." Thea declined politely. She wanted to stay with guys, she didn't trust Oliver not to exclude her from the mission again. "Cisco is taking DNA from my jacket and I'd like to be around." Also, she was very curious about the whole evil Santa stuff.

"Hey where's the whole Christmas decoration?" Felicity asked Caitlin as they left the house.

"We had no time for it yet, but I guess the guys can help Barry making our house very Christmassy."

Oliver immediately rolled his eyes. Decorating a house wasn't exactly on his priority list, but knowing Felicity and Barry, they wouldn't let him off the hook.

* * *

><p>Barry was drinking his third hot chocolate, which kind of worried Iris.<p>

"Don't you think you have enough sugar for today?" She asked.

Barry just smiled innocently. "I need some energy. I burned some calories earlier today."

"Really? I didn't hear about any Flash activity today." It made her suspicious.

Barry blushed and turned away. His thoughts weren't innocent anymore. "I was….working….in the kitchen." It wasn't entirely a lie. He felt incredible uncomfortable discussing this topic with Iris. Yes she was his best friend, but that didn't mean she needed to know everything about his life. Hell, he would probably scratch his eyes out if she started to discuss her sex life with Eddie with him. She tried once and it ended in Barry having a nightmare.

"You're blushing." Iris however was far more observant than Barry sometimes liked. "Why are you bushing about kitchen work?" She stopped and her eyes widened. "Gosh, Barry!" She took the hot chocolate from him and chugged it like it were something with a high percentage. "Thanks for that image! I don't know if I can sleep tonight…or ever eat something from that kitchen again."

Barry wanted to disappear, he actually thought about running from the scene, but someone suddenly put her hands over his eyes.

He heard Iris giggling and that someone was sitting down on their table.

"Small hand, long fingers and a hand cream that smells like strawberry bubblegum." Barry started deducing, "That can only be my favorite Miss Smoak!"

Felicity let go of Barry and immediately jumped on his feet to hug her. "I missed you!"

Felicity giggled. "I missed you too, Barry."

When they pulled away he took a closer look at her. It's been weeks since he last saw her. "You look amazing." He offered her his chair.

She sat down. "You mean huge, right?"

He walked over to Caitlin and kissed her cheek. "No, I mean amazing."

"Pregnancy suits you." Iris complimented.

"Thank you." Felicity said, slightly bashful.

"Where are Oliver and the rest of the team?" Barry asked.

"Already at the lab, waiting for you." Caitlin answered with a very specific undertone in her voice that signaled Barry to go, because they clearly needed some girl talk.

"Alright." He said understanding. "I'll see you later at home."

* * *

><p>Oliver was sure he was in hell. Not only was he hunting a crazy guy in Santa costume and was pretty much trapped in Whoville for the next couple of day and had to decorate a house, now he also had to work with Christmas music, surrounded by colorful lights.<p>

He must have been a bad boy during the last year to deserve this.

The lab was decorated with a tree, lights and Cisco was blasting Last Christmas over the stereo.

Diggle patted his back, smiling gloatingly. "Just let the Christmas spirit get to you."

"Guys, I'm so happy you're all here!" Cisco said with a birght smile, handing everyone a cup of mulled wine and some gingerbread, which Oliver stiffly declined.

"I have so many awesome new stuff for your guys, you gonna love it!" Cisco was overly enthusiastic as always. "But first we'll look at your evidence." He said at Thea and winked as if he was trying to flirt with her. Thea smiled amused and handed him her jacket, while Roy just rolled his eyes. Cisco's crush on Thea was harmless and everybody knew that she only liked him as a good friend, still it made Roy slightly uncomfortable, not matter how much he liked Cisco.

While Cisco, Thea and Roy were busy with the evidence and Diggle called home, Oliver walked around the lab. He was never really sure if he liked it there and obviously felt more home in the foundry. Still, he liked working with Team Flash and was always amazed by the new gadgets Cisco made for them. It made their life a lot easier.

When Doctor Wells turned out to be one of the bad guys, only, confirming Oliver's hunch about him, it looked like the lab would be closed forever. Thankfully with Oliver getting the company – now named Queen Inc. – back from Ray Palmer, he could buy the lab and give it into the hands of Caitlin and Cisco. He had no interest in owning yet another lab, so he only stayed as a silent partner.

"Happy Holidays, friends!" Barry entered the lab, grinning like a little kid.

"Hey Barry…" Oliver wouldn't dare to use the words 'Christmas' and 'Holidays' in front of Barry. It would've only given him weird ideas.

After hugging Thea and a brotherly handshake with Roy, Barry filled them in on the newest information he got from Iris.

"Two of the families were investors in the same project, that's there connection." He explained excited, "Joe and Eddie are checking the others right now, if they invested into the same thing, we have a pattern, even if it's a very strange one."

"What projects?" Roy asked.

"Ever heard of Imperial Toys?" Barry asked.

Diggle nodded, he knew every toy store on the planet and not one of them had the doll he needed for Sara. "It's a giant chain of toy stores. They have branches everywhere."

"Why would someone rob families that are supporting toy stores?" Thea asked, it made no sense to her, but then again, an evil Santa Claus made no sense either.

"That's the one million dollar question." Barry said thoughtfully. A part of him hoped Joe and Eddie would find out that the other families would fit right into the pattern, another part hoped they wouldn't. Even with a clue like that it seemed impossible to find out Sinister Claus's motivation. Maybe it was easier to just try to catch him again.

"Maybe evil Santa –" Oliver started.

"Sinister Claus!" Cisco interrupted vigorously.

"I'm not calling him _that._" Oliver growled, almost using his Arrow voice. "Maybe he is just sick and tired of all the Christmas nonsense and wants others to accept that it is not the most joyful time of the year."

Cisco gulped at Oliver's little outburst and turned back to his computers. Thea and Roy, fully aware why Oliver disliked this time of the year so much retreated to back of the lab, playing with some of Cisco's new inventions, while Diggle looked at his phone, trying not to comment on his friend's behavior.

Only Barry, who developed a habit on calling Oliver out over the last couple of years, something Oliver disliked and respected at the same time, stayed with him.

"Man, you know you're just one _bah humbug _away from being visited by three ghosts."

"Already had that." Oliver whispered to himself, remembering his first meeting with Barry and the hallucinations he had been fighting at the time.

"What?" Barry asked.

"Nothing." Oliver said. "I'm just not a Christmas person." He wasn't as dark and moody as he had been three years ago, but always around the time when the anniversary of his battle with Ra's Al Ghul, the anniversary of his temporary death came close, he fell back into his old habits. He was glad he had Felicity, she was his rock, his anchor around this time.

"I understand." Barry said and Oliver knew he really tried. Team Flash was aware of his experiences, but knowing and truly understanding was something else.

"I appreciate that." Oliver didn't want to be the Grinch who ruined Christmas, so he promised himself he would at least try, no matter how hard it would be.

* * *

><p>"Do you have settled on a name yet?" Iris asked Felicity.<p>

Felicity bit her lip. "Well we have settled that she needs a girl's name. Or something unisex. She won't be named after city or a fruit or even worse a vegetable."

"You can't call her Baby Queen forever." Caitlin said, drinking her coffee.

Felicity stared at her friend's cup. How much she missed real coffee. Decaf just wasn't the same. "I know." She put a hand on her stomach, "A boy would've been so much easier. We would've called him Thomas Robert, after Oliver's best friend and father." But the baby had other plans obviously. Ever since they found out Felicity was expecting a girl, the name discussion had been on.

"Why not call her Moira then?" Caitlin suggested.

"We thought about that." Felicity answered. "Oliver loved his mother, but her name will always be associated with less pleasant things as well…you know blowing up the Glades…lying….stuff…" She didn't want to say bad things about Oliver's dead mother, but she had never been Moira Queen's biggest fan and there were some truths hard to ignore.

"He doesn't want to burden his daughter." Iris said. "That's understandable."

"Maybe when we look at her, we'll know." Felicity said. She was excited that she would finally meet her daughter soon. She was due in two weeks and while she was scared of the birth, her happiness was overweighing the worries.

"To Baby Queen, then." Iris raised her glass and the others followed her example. "May she be blessed with a beautiful name and not with a city fruit or vegetable!"

Felicity laughed. She missed hanging out with the girls. Sure she had Thea and they developed a very close, sisterly bond but sometimes she just needed Caitlin and Iris. She hated that they lived so far away from her. Especially now. She was glad she had Lyla back in Starling City, but she was also busy with her work at ARGUS and little Sara at home. Some days she painfully missed _her _Sara. The beautiful Canary who deserved so much more than what she got. She hadn't known Sara that long, but she loved her. Of course there was still the other Lance sister left, but they never managed to develop the same bond she and Sara shared.

"What about you guys?" Felicity asked curiously. "Thought about having children?" Not that she really planned having her daughter, it just happened and it was the most beautiful accident in the world.

Iris shook her head. "No, not yet. Eddie and I are both focused on our careers and it's good the way it is."

"What about you and Barry?" Felicity turned to Caitlin. Her answer interested Iris as well. She was glad Barry and Caitlin found each other and made each other happy, buying the house however surprised even her. She had never seen Barry so serious about anyone, maybe not even herself.

"Someday." Caitlin said. "We talked about it and we both would like to have children one day, but right now we want to focus on living together."

"So…." Iris started then with a playful expression on her face, "With the baby on the way…." She shot Caitlin a knowing smile and Felicity started to feel uncomfortable. "Did he ask you yet?"

"Asked me what?" Felicity asked totally oblivious.

"If you want to marry him." Caitlin said.

Felicity shook her head and tried not to look at her ring finger. "No and it's not necessary." She still thought about it from time to time.

"Too bad." Iris said disappointed. "A Queen wedding would be the event of the year."

* * *

><p>It was already dark outside when Cisco got a message from Joe. "Guys, looks like Sinister Claus was seen again."<p>

"Where?" Oliver asked, already grapping his costume.

"Main Street 25." He said, "The family's name is Lawson and the mother is an heiress."

"Fits the pattern of rich families." Thea said.

Oliver looked at Barry. "Go. We'll follow you. Maybe you get him this time."

Barry nodded and in a second he, as well as the Flash costume were gone.

Cisco clapped his hands. "Okay guys, let's catch us a Sinister Claus. It will be a Team Flarrow Christmas Extravaganza!"

Oliver rolled his eyes, but swallowed his comment. They had more important things to do.

* * *

><p><em><strong>As always a comment would be nice :)<strong>_


	5. Here Comes Sinister Claus

_**AN: **__** Hey guys! Hope you all had a great time over Christmas. Thank you for all your nice wishes and of course the great response for the last chapter. Hope you enjoy this one as well :)**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Part 05: Here Comes Sinister Claus<strong>_

"_**Boy, that's scary stuff! Should we be worried about the kids in the audience?"**_

_**- The Muppets Christmas Carol**_

Barry had the feeling he was flying. He was running faster than usual, if that was even possible. He was definitely faster than lightning now, faster than the wind, faster than everything imaginable. He needed to get to Sinister Claus this time, he lost him once, it was not going to happen again.

He stopped abruptly when he reached his destination. The house was dark, the family was probably out, the scenario was exactly the same as before. Wealthy, empty house, looking Christmassy on the outside.

Barry took a deep breath. Joe and Eddie would probably already be inside and Oliver was following after him, they couldn't lose this time.

* * *

><p>Joe and Eddie were creeping through the house, trying to be absolutely silent. They couldn't risk to alarm evil Santa. They needed to keep him there at least until Barry would arrive.<p>

When they reached the living room, they saw him. He was rummaging under the tree, putting presents and Christmas ornaments into his giant bag.

"I have seen a lot in my life, "Joe whispered, "But this wins above everything else."

Eddie couldn't stop staring. Ever since being introduced into the world of metahumans he slowly came to terms with superpowers and crazy villains, but Santa, a dear image from his childhood as one of these villains, was a lot to take in.

"Barry is late as always, what if he disappears again?" Eddie asked, amazed that Evil Santa hadn't heard them yet.

Joe thought about it for a moment. "Then we need to stop him." There honor as the Central City Police was also on the line, if the robberies wouldn't stop, it would be on them. "If he tries to leave, shoot him."

Eddie gulped. There was something wrong about shooting an innocent symbol of childhood.

Joe raised an eyebrow when he saw his partner's uncertain expression. "What?"

"I just…." Eddie stammered, "I just don't feel comfortable shooting Santa. It seems wrong."

Joe wasn't exactly sure he wanted to laugh or not. "That guy is a robber, not Kris Kringle."

Suddenly Santa grunted and turned around. His eyes were glowing icy, a sinister smile gracing his lips. "Ho ho ho" He laughed wickedly.

"Get him!" Joe ordered, but Barry suddenly appeared punching Sinister Claus hard in the face. Usually it should've catapulted him at least across the room, but Santa didn't even flinch. "What the hell?" Barry was confused, something was definitely not right with this guy.

"Ho ho ho" Santa laughed again, before putting his bag aside. His smile widened and he clapped his hands.

"What is doing?" Eddie asked, raising his gun. He didn't want to shoot the guy, but he knew he probably had no other choice.

Sinister Claus started to rub his hands, something that looked like a miniature snow storm started to appear. Barry realized what was going to happen. "Get out!" He shouted at Joe and Eddie. When neither of them reacted he ran towards them and pulled them quickly out of the way.

Just in time as it appeared. Sinister Claus couldn't just disappear in a cloud of snow, he could also shoot it at people.

When Joe and Eddie the floor an icy blast went over their heads.

"Really? He can do that, too?" Joe asked, more annoyed that terrified.

"Get out of here." Barry said again. "I got this." At least he hoped he _got this. _Ice wasn't exactly his best friend, in fact thanks to one Captain Cold he kind of came to hate it.

"Be careful, kid." Joe told him before helping Eddie back on his feet.

"We'll get reinforcements." Eddie said and they left.

Sinister Claus looked after them, but did nothing.

Barry hesitated for a moment, not sure what to do next. How do you fight something that is basically invincible?

"Okay, Sinister Claus, you and me again." He tried to sound as confident and cocky as possible, but if he was being honest with himself, Santa was quite creepy.

"Ho ho ho!" Santa laughed and created another snow storm.

Barry was ready to attack when two arrows, one green and one red, went right through Santa's legs.

* * *

><p>Thea pouted on the passenger's seat. The ski mask on her head was pulled up, her two swords were lying on her lap.<p>

"You should see the positive." Diggle sat, not looking at her but watching the street.

"What positive?" Thea snapped.

"At least Oliver let you come." He knew he wasn't winning any points right now, but trying to cool her down was better than nothing.

Thea pouted more. Of course she was happy when Oliver didn't even put on a fight when she insisted to come long on the hunt for Sinister Claus, but she expected to fight and not to be stuck in a car with Diggle.

"I'm more help on the field, John."

Diggle understood her frustration, he too loved being on the field, but ever since Sara had been born, he was trying to stay out of danger as much as possible. He wondered what Oliver would do when his baby was born.

"Thea." He said softly, "Your brother knows that you can fight, but he also knows _why _you can fight." They never really mentioned Malcolm Merlyn anymore, he was a ghost of the past and it was better that way. Thea had been manipulated, betrayed and used by her birth father and even if she came out stronger, all of them, mostly of course Oliver, feared that thinking too much about it would damage her again. She had been through a lot and they still had no idea about half of the stuff Malcolm put her through.

"Fighting, helping others, it helps me." Thea knew what she did, knew who she killed. Some days she almost managed to forget, but whenever she looked at Laurel, whenever she heard Sara's name it reminded her of the horrible murder she committed. All of the told her over and over again that it wasn't her fault, that what happened was beyond her control, still she had a strong need for redemption and she wished for Oliver to understand that.

Her fists clenched around her swords. They were her weapons of choice. Diggle used guns, something she wasn't comfortable with and using a bow and arrows like Oliver and Roy was out of question. Ever since she remembered Sara, she couldn't touch a bow. It made her feel nauseous.

"I know, kid." Diggle said understanding. "And you will get your chance."

* * *

><p>Instead of falling down from the arrows in his legs, Sinister Claus just stood still. His eyes caught Oliver and Roy and just like always he laughed. "Ho ho ho!"<p>

"The arrows have no effect on him!" Roy said.

Barry was glad his friends were finally there, even though he still had no idea how they could beat this guy. "Be careful." He warned them. "He can shoot with ice."

"Why isn't he moving?" Oliver growled in typical Arrow-fashion.

Barry wanted to answer, when Sinister Claus started to rub his hands again. He opened his mouth, but instead of the usual _ho ho ho, _something else escaped it. "You are naughty kids, you don't get presents."

"He added something to his vocabulary." Barry said astonished.

"Dude, that's creepy." Roy whispered to him. He had been attacked by Santa before, but this was the first time he got a really good look at him. Glowing eyes, white beard and a pale skin. Whatever this guy was, he wasn't human. And Roy didn't mean in a Barry not-human way, but more like in a ghost or demon way, if that was even possible. He looked over to Oliver, curious about his reaction, but as always his mentor kept a stern expression. If Oliver was freaked out, he was good at hiding it.

"What do you want?" Oliver demanded.

Sinister Claus only smiled. Barry was sure they weren't getting an answer, he ran towards him and tried to catch him, but just like last time he just slid out of his fingers.

Oliver and Roy started shooting again, but the arrows either missed or just went through him.

"We need a new strategy!" Oliver yelled.

That was a good thought, but no one knew what to try next.

"Distract him!" Barry said, "When he is not looking, I'll try catching him again."

"Sounds like a plan." Roy answered. Oliver just gave them a quick nod. He wasn't used to not calling the shots, but since it was Barry's city, he was in charge.

Roy headed to the side of the room, both he and Oliver started shoot from different points of view, trying not to damage the house too much.

Sinister Claus was everything but impressed by the arrows, he remained still. If he wasn't moving, Barry couldn't attack, not even a distraction worked.

"Naughty little kids." Santa hissed. He breathed in and then heavily breathed out, creating another snow storm out of his mouth, blowing away the Christmas tree.

Oliver jumped aside, searching for cover behind the big leather couch. Roy wasn't so lucky. He was hit by the storm and thrown into the wall.

The tree was flying after him, but seconds before it could crash into it, Barry caught it mid-air and threw it away.

The storm slowly started to disappear and with it, Sinister Claus, including is bag.

* * *

><p>"Thea!" Diggle shouted and left the car.<p>

Thea followed him and they stared at one of the house's large windows. It was blown open by a snow storm that clearly came from the inside.

"Look!" Thea pointed inside the storm.

In its middle was Sinister Claus slowly disappearing into a cloud.

"What just happened?" Diggle asked.

They exchanged worried looks.

"Oliver?" Diggle said through his speaker, "You guys are okay?"

"We're fine." Barry suddenly said. He and Oliver appeared next to Thea, holding a hurt Roy between them.

"Roy!" Thea carefully removed his mask. "What happened?"

"Santa hates me." He mumbled. "He always attacks me."

Thea was relieved. If he could make jokes, he wasn't hurt that badly.

"We should get him back to the lab." Barry said, "Caitlin needs to take a look at him, just in case."

* * *

><p>"He can shoot ice?" Cisco asked in awe. He sounded way too enthusiastically for Oliver's taste. "He is like Elsa?"<p>

Caitlin rolled her eyes while patching up Roy's bruises. "Don't expect him to sing Let It Go, please."

Felicity was sitting next to Oliver, her hand never leaving his. "I'm glad you're not hurt." She said.

Oliver softly kissed her forehead. "I promised I'll be careful." He reached out and put his hand on her belly. "I will always be careful from now on." He briefly looked at Diggle who smiled approvingly.

"Something is off about Sinister Claus…" Barry mused, handing his friends some glasses.

"You mean apart from the name?" Oliver said, more lighthearted than before.

"He is like no metahuman we ever encountered before." Barry went on. "How can we fight something like that?"

"Maybe we should start investigating where he comes from then." Diggle suggested.

"You mean that toy store?" Thea asked and he nodded.

"That can wait until tomorrow." Barry said and yawned. "Here's some cheer up. Grandma Esther's infamous eggnog."

"And a fruit tea for Felicity." Caitlin added.

When Barry started to pour the eggnog into the glasses Oliver declined. "Sorry, not for me. I don't drink on missions." He knew it sounded ridiculous, but having had a wild youth, he started to overthink a lot since Felicity's pregnancy.

"You drink!" Felicity suddenly said.

"What?"

She took the bottle from Barry and filled Oliver's glass. "That stuff is delicious and I can't drink it. Take one for the Team Queen, you know I'm taking the bigger one!"

Oliver stared at her, not sure how to react while his friends started to laugh.

"Relax, Oliver." Barry patted his back. "Eggnog today –"

"Sinister Claus tomorrow!" Cisco added.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Reviews would be awesome ;)<strong>_


	6. Vacation

**Please Read!**

Guys, I'm sorry there was no updated today, but I had such a busy day and I will be on vacation from tomorrow until the 2nd of January. I know this is a Christmas story and we don't have Christmas anymore, but maybe we can all still feels Christmassy in January.

If you are by any chance following my other story The Two Sides Of You, basically the same. Vacation, busy time and the whole yada yada. So hope you stay with me and will continue this even after Christmas :)

Have all a nice New Years's Eve :)


	7. Mission: Find the Sinister Claus

_**AN: **__** Hey guys! Hope you're all stil with me ;) Boy, that were a couple of busy days, so I'm sorry for not updating sooner. Happy late New Year to all of you! Hope you all enjoyed New Year's Eve and still have some Christmas spirit left for this story.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Part 06: Mission: Find the Sinister Claus<strong>_

"_**It's just like I always say; if you want to find something weird you have to go downtown."**_

_**- Gremlins 2**_

Caitlin pressed her head against Barry's chest. She knew the sun was already up and she had to leave the bed eventually, but it was just too damn comfortable. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, he was still sleeping peacefully. She loved moments like that when it was just the two of them together, no worries, no stress, no superhero business. She closed her eyes again, enjoying the warmth, when a sudden noise from the kitchen disturbed her.

She sat up immediately. Her hair was messy and her eyes still sleepy.

"What was that?" Barry slowly sat up and stretched his arms, before yawning as loud as humanly possible.

Caitlin gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Probably one of our many house guests." She forgot about them for a little while. "We should probably get up."

Barry smirked mischievously before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her down again. Caitlin giggled as he kissed her cheeks and neck. "Barry! We have to get up!" She laughed.

"Or we don't. Let them destroy the kitchen for all I care." He said before pinning her down under him and leaning in for a passionate kiss.

Caitlin met him half way, smiling into the kiss.

House guests, Sinister Claus or not, life was pretty good on mornings like this.

* * *

><p>"How is your arm doing?" Thea asked as she handed Roy a cup of coffee.<p>

He shrugged. "Just a scratch."

She rolled her eyes. She knew he was playing the tough guy, but Sinister Claus hit him pretty hard this time. Caitlin told them he would be fine, but he should probably sit out some of the big fights for at least a week.

Cisco was rummaging around the kitchen like he owned it, discussing battle strategy with Oliver and Diggle, while Felicity was busy making waffles.

When Barry and Caitlin finally entered the room, she still in her PJs and he only in his boxers and a shirt, no one seemed to pay attention to them.

Caitlin started to cough. "Hmm." Still no attention. Barry smiled amused. Their extended family was already feeling at home and that made him feel good. He loved being surrounded by people he cared so deeply about. Losing his mother early and growing up in the more or less patchwork household with the West's he came to value family above everything. He put an arm around Caitlin. He wanted to have a big family of his own one day, but for now the one he had was perfectly fine.

"Guys! Caitlin shouted annoyed.

Cisco then greeted them with a big grin. "The love birds are finally awake! Good morning, coffee?"

Barry raised an eyebrow. "Cisco what are you doing here? You don't even live here." He said slightly confused. He expected the whole of Team Arrow, but not him.

Cisco just glanced at him innocently. "We'll I have a key."

Barry exchanged a look with Caitlin who shook her head. "We never gave you one." She said then for both of them.

"Whoopsie. My bad." Cisco laughed and walked behind the kitchen counter. "Anyways –"He tried to change the subject. "We should discuss what we do next about Sinister Claus."

"We could change his name." Oliver muttered only to get elbowed by Felicity followed by her infamous 'just be nice look'.

Diggle crossed his arms. "Obviously just fighting him isn't working."

Barry purred in some coffee for him and Caitlin. "It's like he is not even there. He doesn't move he just dematerializes into a cloud of snow."

Roy rubbed his hurt arm. "If we can't land a punch or even shoot him, how are we catching him?"

"We approach it differently." Cisco said. He pointed at Barry and Caitlin. "While you were busy sleeping, we were making plans."

"What plans?" Caitlin asked curiously, afraid what he was up to now.

"Additional research." Felicity started to explain while eating her waffles. "You –"She looked at Caitlin, "Iris and I will look into the families that have been robbed while Cisco tries to find out what weapon might hurt evil Santa."

"Roy and I will go back to the latest crime scene." Thea jumped in, "And look for more evidence."

"While Oliver, Diggle and you, "Cisco addressed Barry, "will take a closer look at our might be Sinister Headquarter _Imperial Toys._"

"The only real clue we have." Oliver emphasized.

"I call it Operation Toy Story." Cisco said enthusiastically.

Oliver groaned. "Tell me again, "He leaned closer to Felicity, "why can't I shoot him."

She put a piece of her waffle into his mouth and patted his arm sympathetically. "Because he is our friend and friends don't shoot other friends."

"Tell that to my butt." Roy murmured almost not audible. He could almost feel the pain again after the last time Oliver decided to use him for 'moving target practice' as he called it.

Barry put his cup away. "Fine. I'll get dressed and we're on the job."

"Yeah. We just have a little halt in between before." Oliver said.

* * *

><p>With 'halt in between' Oliver meant visiting his son as it turned out to be. While Barry and Diggle waited in the car, Oliver stood in front of the little apartment with the sign that said 'Hawke'. He was nervous, even though he had no idea why. It's been years since he found out about Connor and after the initial shock, he started to bond with the boy and eventually it worked out.<p>

Connor was a great kid. Fun, intelligent and compassionate. He accepted Oliver slowly into his life and so did Sandra, his mother. Still, he didn't know how she would react if he showed up unannounced at her doorstep. They found a certain groove but every now and then Oliver was still afraid to overstep his boundaries.

After taking a deep breath he rang the doorbell.

"Just a second!" He heard Sandra calling from the inside. He waited patiently until she finally opened the door, looking like a complete mess. She was wearing yoga pants, her hair looked like she had been electrocuted, her eyes were swollen, her face pale and her nose was oozing.

"Whoa." Was the only thing he managed to say.

"Oliver." Sandra said surprised, talking with a very nasal sound in her voice. "What are you doing here?" She opened the door further and made a gesture to invite him inside.

"I'm on a business trip and thought I say hi." It wasn't a complete lie he told himself, Sinister Claus was business after all. "Are you okay?" He asked concerned. "You look like…" He was searching for nice words, but he didn't seem to find them.

"Just say it." She pointed at herself. "I look like crap." She sat down on the sofa and Oliver sat down next to her.

"I wanted to say you look not so healthy." He saved himself.

"I have the flu." She moaned before sneezing into a tissue.

"And Connor?" He asked concerned. Even if he didn't know the boy all of his life, he loved him deeply and Connor and sick instantly freaked him out.

Sandra smiled knowingly. "He is fine, don't you worry. Hanging out in his room, avoiding me." She laughed a little bit. "How long are you staying?"

Oliver shrugged. "Probably until after Christmas."

An idea formed into her mind. "You can't take him with by any chance?" She asked.

He expected to spend some time with his son, but not them staying together for a couple of days, immediately some odd excitement took over. Not that he wanted Sandra to be sick, but sine he lived in a different city, he was happy about any chance to get to know him better and be with him.

"I'm staying at a friend's house, but I'm sure there will be no problem." He knew there wouldn't, Barry and Caitlin both adored Connor.

"Thanks." She said before standing up. "I don't want him sick over the holidays." She looked into the direction of her son's room. "Connor, your dad is here!" She called and the door opened immediately.

12 year old, brown haired Connor grinned wildly when he saw his father. "Hey, Dad!" He almost ran towards him. Oliver ruffled through his hair. "Hi, Connor. You're taller than the last time."

"Really?" He laughed. "What are you doing here? Thought I won't see you before Christmas.2

Oliver leaned a bit closer. "You know, _business_." He said in a way that seemed like a private joke between them to Sandra.

"You wanna stay with your dad as long as he is in town?" Sandra coughed.

Connor's eyes widened gleefully. "For real?" It wasn't hard to tell that the boy was excited. He may grew up without his father for a long time, but ever since they met, he wanted him to be a bigger part of his life.

"For real, buddy." Oliver said. "We're staying at Barry's and Caitlin's place."

"Awesome!" Connor loved Barry, almost hero worshipped him to an extent Oliver wasn't sure he liked. Call it a little bit of jealousy. But then again, which 12 year old wouldn't be over the moon knowing the Flash?

Sandra smiled at her son. "Go and pack some stuff."

"Yes, Mom." He said happy. "But you will be fine on your own right?"

She softly stroke his cheek. "Sure. I just want you as far away from my germs as possible."

"Gross, Mom." Connor said before grapping Oliver's arm and pulling him along into his room. "Felicity with you?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure."

Connor loved Felicity, of course he did, who wouldn't? They hit it off right away. While Oliver wasn't sure how to react in front of the boy, she bonded with him over video games, chocolate and Legend of Korra.

"Hey Dad…" Connor closed the door behind them. To Oliver it was still one of the best sounds in the world when he called him 'dad'. When they met it was just 'Oliver' always 'Oliver', until one afternoon when Connor and Felicity were picking him up for lunch at the company. There wasn't any special occasion or something monumental happening, he just looked at him and said 'Dad, you ready?' and Oliver's world changed completely. It was the moment he really started to understand that he was a father, with a son he loved.

"Yes?"

Connor listened at the door for a moment, making absolutely sure his mother wouldn't walk in. "What are you _really_ doing in town?"

"Oh son, you wouldn't believe me…" He said as he started to tell him the unbelievable story about an evil Santa Claus.

* * *

><p>Felicity hammered on her keyboard. "This is frustrating. Except for that stupid toy store, there's nothing those families have in common!"<p>

"At least there is something at all." Caitlin reminded her. A couple of days ago they had nothing and now they at least had this clue.

Felicity groaned and supported her head with her hands. "What if it has nothing to do with it? Normally I can dig up anything…I'm losing my mojo."

Caitlin put an arm around her. "You are not losing anything. Stop stressing yourself. It's not good for your or the baby."

"Hey check this out!" Iris suddenly said and pointed at her tablet. "Did you know that the whole place Imperial Toys is built on was destroyed the same night the particle accelerator exploded?"

Caitlin looked up in shock. "We've destroyed a toy store?"

Felicity carefully took the tablet from Iris and read on. "No, you didn't. A fire broke out and burned the whole building down."

"Maybe that's why all those rich people were investing in it. To rebuild it." Iris concluded, "They all have children so maybe they felt they were doing something good."

"By rebuilding a chain toy store?" Caitlin crossed her arms. "I will never understand those rich people." When she noticed Felicity raising an eyebrow at her she quickly changed her words, "Rich people who are not Oliver, of course."

Felicity laughed at her friend before turning serious again. "That still doesn't explain what evil Santa has to do with it."

Iris sighed, so much for good research work.

* * *

><p>Thea slowed down her speed. She and Roy where circling the block of the latest victim's house, but she quickly noticed he couldn't keep up. Sinister Claus hurt him and Thea hated him for that. She was glad Barry had been with him or, according to Oliver, a Christmas tree would've probably impaled him.<p>

"You should go home, I can search for evidence on my own." Not that she expected to find anything useful.

He shook his head eagerly. "No, I'm fine."

"Liar." Thea said and softly reached for his cheek. "You don't have to pretend with me Roy Harper." He just stared at her. For a moment she thought or rather hoped he would lean in to kiss her, but he didn't and it frustrated her.

Things were complicated between them. Always have been and probably always would be. They dated on again and off again for years now and even if they both loved each other, they always seemed to end up in a sort of relationship limbo.

Right now, Thea had no idea what they were. Friends? Comrades? Lovers?

She enjoyed his jealousy over Cisco's harmless clumsy flirtation, but she didn't know how to interpret it.

"Roy –"she started again but he walked past her.

"We should get going or your brother will be mad."

* * *

><p>"We're looking for evil Santa Claus in a toy store?" Connor asked in disbelief, eyebrows raised.<p>

Barry clapped his back. "Looks like it, kiddo."

"It's the only trail we have right now and you –"Oliver looked at his son, "are our alibi child."

Connor sighed. "Great. Can I have a new basketball at least?"

"I thought you wanted to come on a mission." Oliver sounded almost disappointed which amused Barry to no end. He remembered how scared Oliver had been when Connor found about his secret identity. It almost caused the second (or was it the third? Barry didn't remember) Oliver Queen identity crisis deluxe. If there was one thing Oliver wanted to keep pure and far away from his vigilante life it was his son, but as karma wanted it, a mission went south, the boy was caught in the middle and eventually found out. Connor, being mature enough for his age promised secrecy and much to Oliver's dismay wanted to help.

"Alright!" Diggle clapped his hands together, "You guys look for Santa and I look for the Dixie Doll 3000!"

"Dig is looking for a Terminator Country Singer?" Connor asked stunned.

Oliver chuckled. "She glows in in the dark."

Before they entered the store Barry looked absentmindedly over the street. His eyes fell on an old, derelict house. He never noticed it before.

"You okay?" Oliver suddenly asked.

Barry needed a moment to response. "Yeah…just wondering what that is over there." If Barry was being honest, that old, creepy house looked more like a Sinister Claus hideout than Imperial Toys.

"Just an abandoned building, I guess." Oliver answered. "Let's go inside so Diggle can search for his doll."

"Sure…" Barry answered, but his gut told him to check out the other building later on as well.

* * *

><p><em><strong>As always comments would be welcome ;)<strong>_


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